Do you have to be told to evacuate?

[10-Ring]

These SoCal fires really got me thinking. If worse came to worse, would I have to be told to evacuate? Would I stick around & try to defend/protect my property (house)?
The fire didn't get that close really, but close enough to have me make sure that valuables are w/in arms reach, pictures/albums are ready, car is gassed up, important papers & phone #'s are ready, guns are packed & SHTF bag is packed and ready. I don't think I'd wait to for a mandatory evac notice because I have more than myself to worry about.

 

[El Tejon]

THR members are self-starters. I don't lose any sleep over their safety.

 

[ElToro]

its like this.. if you've known for 4 days now that the fire could come close to you wouldnt you have your stuff and family photos/papers ready to go at a moments notice ? i heard the hourly news when i got in the car yesterday and they had some woman saying..."well we thought it wouldnt happen so we didnt take anything.. and here's the remains in ashes"...

my bro is down there and he says the FDs are trying to implore people to be ready to go... there is a 50 MILE fire line.. flames go to like 300 feet in sky.. it dosn't even have to be very close to your property and the heat will melt the paint off your car and house... they are showing pictures of pools boiling !

if you think your gonna stay and fight a fire with a 3/4 inch garden hose you deserve a Darwin.

you should have taken some precaution by trimming the bushes and maybe hiring a dozer to clear the area by your house if live in the mountains... if you live in a tract community.. well your just F'd... you can rebuild a house.. people are more difficult to replace

 

[Double Naught Spy]

I just love seeing those poor idiots on TV who have terrifying stories to tell about how the fires almost got them and managed to get most or all of their belongings. As noted, these fires are no surprise.

Last year, one guy was queried about evacuation and he noted that he and the family would start packing up if they saw the fire come over the ridge. He was in a valley location and the distance to the ridge was 3 or 4 miles. He could see the glow of the fire off in the distance behind the ridge, but no flames. Fire crested the ridge a couple of days later in a firestorm and overtook his house in a matter of minutes. He didn't even manage to get both cars out of the garage, much less pack anything. It is hard to feel sorry for laziness and active stupidity. Why are these events such a shock to people? "We could not believe how fast the fire was on us..." No kidding.

If you live in or near the forest, count on fire being a very real threat at any time of the year and have a plan to deal with it.

If you live in a low area, even as high up as the 100 or 500 year floodplain, count on flooding being a very real threat at any time and have a plan to deal with it.

If you live on the coast, count on tropical storms, hurricanes, or typhoons as being a very real threat and have a plan to deal with it.

Similarly, if you live in a tectonically active area, in areas subject to tornado or violent storms, etc., have a plan to deal with them.

For most individuals, these tend to be low frequency but high consequence events. It is the low frequency that lulls people into a stupor of perceived safety.

As a friend of mine says about accidents, they have a low frequency and very high probability of occurence. Sooner or later you will be in some sort of accident that will cause you some physical harm. Unlike the fire victims, you often don't get visual, verbal, or even days in advances warnings.

 

[BerettaNut92]

Wanna leave your HKs at my place for safekeeping? That way you can free up some space in the car

I don't worry about you but how's your son and your extended family taking it out there?

 

[Kobun]

So, how is the water situation?
Anyone water down your house and lawn?
Pack the house in tin foil to avoid sparks and heat a space to bite through?

If I lived in a wild fire area, I'd store water in huge tanks, get a gas generator to run a pump, and have hoses going around and over my house to cool it down.
Of course installing a drainage system to return the water to the tanks would let the system run untill it was out of gas.
I saw on TV a guy in Australia that had done this, and the system really worked.

Not all problems are best solved with guns. Some are better off with sheet metal and water.

 

[Denny Hansen]

I helped evacuate family members from the big Rodeo fire here in Arizona last year. If you Kali guys need something (no, Skunk you can't have any of my firearms), don't be bashful.

Denny

 

[10-Ring]

I saw a couple news reports over the alst couple of days that some people only got 15 minutes notice before they were told to leave & one re-occuring story is that some of the dead were those who didn't leave when they were told to
Me, I'm not to worried. There would be alot more problems if this fire threatened me & my family. There are ALOT more houses and a couple major freeways this thing would have to get through first. Sure, I had stuff packed up & ready to go if the air got any worse (not use to leaving footprints in ash on the lawn & driveway ), but we stayed.
Now that the firestorms have hit SO Cal, I'm gonna bet the mudslide season will be a pretty bad one this year too!

 

[CWL]

The only thing not replaceable is you and your loved ones. No sense staying around if big fire is coming. No way for individuals to fight the big ones. I lived thru the big one in Oakland Hills,CA once and it was terribel.

I noticed people in the fire paths have prepped by already moving some items and keeping others ready in car. You finally get to use your bug out gear!

 

[Double Naught Spy]

The 15 minute warning isn't and shouldn't be the first call to action for people in the burn areas. The 15 minute warning is the final call to get out now, with whatever you have loaded up already.

Those folks did not just have 15 minutes warning before they had to evacuate. They have had days or at least had many hours. The live in the area, they smell the smoke, they see the flames, the events are covered on the news on a continual basis and there are radio programs that give continued updates.

By the time the 15 minute evacuation warning came about, they should have already had all their stuff loaded up and ready to go. No, that is wrong. By the time the 15 minute warnings came, they should have been gone for quite some time.

These fires are no surprise. Nobody should be getting caught flatfooted at this point.

 

[TallPine]

We spent about two months last summer prepeared to evacuate at any moment. Some food and extra clothes in the camper trailer, and important papers, photo negatives, and firearms all in one spot in the house ready to grab.

I am on the local VFD so it would have been up to my wife to get away with the children and pets and the aforementioned belongings. I might have been in the position of fighting to save my own home, or even saving someone else's and losing my own.

On weekends we did a lot of fuel reduction around the house, as much as possible in 100 degree temperatures and "hoot owl" fire restrictions on equipment operations.

A big fire about 50 miles from us ran 7 or 8 miles in a couple hours one night after it was officially "contained" and fire fighters were being pulled off to the numerous other blazes.

The fire can block your exit route, and can actually use up so much oxygen that your vehicle won't run.

 

[Gabe]

From CNN, a man with a plan:


"John Lucas, 38, said he was able to save three houses on his property, including the one where his wife and her brothers were born, by building a $60,000 fire system with two 5,500-gallon water tanks. The system consists of a network of hoses that keep the buildings and the grounds wet.


"It wasn't luck. My family and I expended a lot of preparation just for this scenario," said the former U.S. Forest Service firefighter."

 

[Sleuth]

As a volle Firefighter, I spent 2 nights on the Rodeo-Chedeski Fire. I was in the town of Pindale when it burned, so let me give you my thoughts.

When they say there is a major fire in the area, start planning. Think of critters (dogs, horses) and where they will go. Load what you want to save NOW.

You should, right now, think about (pre-plan) where you are going, and where you will secure your guns. This weekend, not when the sky is dark with smoke!

If you do not need to stay for some extrodinary reason, leave NOW. If you wait, you will be competing with all those other folks, jamming the roads, getting motel rooms, etc. And go far. Some folks here were evacuated twice, once from home, then from the place they had gone to.

You are NOT going to save your house with a 3/4 inch garden hose. We were using 2 1/2 inch hoses, with a special foam system. Stop by your local fire station, and ask an engineer about how much water they use in a 2 1/2 in hose. We run about 125GPM - that's125 Gallons Per Min., per hose. Your line to your house is usually only 1 inch - or less. We had a 2,000 gallon tanker assigned to nurse us, and we ran him dry time after time.

Pre-plan your house. Cut back trees and brush, get a steel roof (Cedar Shakes are TINDER, people). Move your wood pile (known as a spark catcher) away from the house. Most homes burn from the top down, when the bushes around the walls burn, the heat collects at the eaves, the roof catches, and it goes up.

You have ammo and a gun for self defense, use THIS weekend to prepare and pre-plan for fire, flood, snowstorm, etc. Consider it another form of self defense. I want to meet you folks on the range, shooting, not looking over the ashes of what used to be your life!

 

[BlkHawk73]

I've got the solution to these fires...

Get all the firecrew members outfitted with jackhammers. Have them all start hammering along the San Andreas fault line. The state will fall into the Pacific extinguishing the fires. Now all these people out of work we can simply send over to Irag to rebuild.

 

[BerettaNut92]

Holy carp [sic] it's a beautiful morning! Lotsa rain up here in LA last night. Spent the night at my folks' house. I guess the skunky rain tactical breakdance actually worked! I wonder how the fires are going now that it's wet all over.